A HERO blast furnace worker who rescued colleagues in the 2001 explosion at the Port Talbot steelworks died from burns after falling into a molten slag channel at the plant five years later.

An inquest heard today that Kevin Downey, 49, suffered burns to 80% of his body after falling into the slag, a waste product of iron making, which had a temperature of 1,400C.

The accident happened on April 25, 2006, after father of two Mr Downey, of Rhodes Avenue, Aberavon, fell from a viewing veranda at the plant’s Number Four blast furnace into a “slag runner”, a channel taking the waste from the huge furnace.

Before being taken to hospital the production co-ordinator managed to tell colleagues the fall happened when he moved his position on the veranda after being engulfed by hot steam.

Neath Port Talbot Coroner Philip Rogers holding the inquest at Swansea’s Guildhall was told a heavy metal cover had been taken off the slag channel before the accident for cleaning.

Ian Hobson, a technical director of Indian conglomerate Tata Steel which now owns the plant previously run by Corus, said £6m had been spent on re-designing the covers to make them easier to handle since the accident.

He also said work had been done on reducing steam in blast furnace cast rooms or operating areas.

Mr Downey, who began working at the plant when he left school at 16 put himself in danger to rescue colleagues during the November 2001 blast which killed steelmen Stephen Galsworthy, 25 and Andrew Hutin, 20, of Aberavon and Len Radford, 53, of Maesteg.

His wife Tanya, 53, told the inquest in a statement: “In 2001 Kevin and his brother Stephen played a significant role in saving others which put their own lives in danger.

“But he was very modest and did not see himself as a hero, he didn’t like the fuss of it.”

She added: “He got a job at 16 with British Steel (former owners) as a recorder boy and had jobs such as labourer, shift foreman, technologist, manager and finally co-ordinator.

“In his 30s he got A-levels in Maths and English at Afan College and City and Guilds qualifications through Corus.

“He loved his job and was very popular with colleagues who he socialised with after work.

“I believe he was known as a ‘font of all knowledge’ and there was not much about the steel making process he did not know.”

Mrs Downey said her husband had a triple heart by-pass operation five years before the accident but was back in work within six months.

She said:”He would have gone back earlier if he could.”

The accident happened around 4.20am.

She said: “My sister phoned me at 5.30am to say there had been an accident and Kevin was hurt.

“I was taken to Morriston Hospital where I was told he had suffered extreme burns.”

Mrs Downey remained with her husband until around 10pm the same day when a priest was called to deliver the last rights.

He died shortly afterwards.

Home Office pathologist Derrick James said the cause of death was multi-organ failure and acute burn injury.